Aaron Hernandez Image Is Removed From EA’s Madden NFL Video Game

July 9 (Bloomberg) -- Aaron Hernandez’s likeness was
removed from Electronic Arts Inc.’s “Madden NFL 25” video game
after the former New England Patriots tight end was charged with
murdering a friend last month in Massachusetts.

The latest edition of EA Sports’ best-selling National
Football League game is scheduled to be released on Aug. 27,
allowing for Hernandez’s profile to be deleted before any copies
are sold. EA, the second-largest video-game publisher, has sold
more than 85 million copies of the Madden games since starting
in 1989, with revenue of more than $4 billion.

Hernandez’s image in EA’s “NCAA Football 14” game will be
removed through an online update, the company said in a
statement.

The Hernandez character appears as a reward card in the
skills trainer mode, which allows gamers to add former college
football players to their rosters by completing challenges.
Unlocking the Hernandez reward will now produce the player item
for Alex Smith, a former University of Utah quarterback who’s
now with the NFL’s Kansas City Chiefs, EA said.

It said the image of Hernandez was included in a version of
the game finished before the company made its decision and will
be removed in a title update “in the near future.”

Hernandez, 23, is held without bail after being charged
with murder for what prosecutors said was orchestrating the
execution of Odin Lloyd in North Attleboro, Massachusetts, about
30 miles (48 kilometers) southwest of Boston. Hernandez, who
agreed on a five-year, $41 million contract extension in August
2012, was released by the Patriots after his arrest and is
scheduled to appear again in court July 24. He faces life in
prison without parole if convicted.